I've been using Linux Mint since ver. 8 (Helena) and am now happily using v.12 but am reluctant to upgrade to v.13 as there's no Gnome.

However, I don't understand how come Linux Mint has stopped using or moved away from Gnome (as fom Linux Mint 13) in favour of Cinnamon or Mate? Is this a backwards move or is Cinnamon technically, visually & more user-friendly? While Ubuntu has moved to Unity, are we moving towards a simpler desktop environment?

I'm sure this is not the case and is just a mis-understanding on my part and thus would like some guidance on this, pls.

Gnome developers killed off Gnome2 not Mint. As far as I can tell (because I don't like or use either of them) Mate is a clone of the old Gnome desktop, so if you like one you should like the other. Cinnamon is a development of gnome-shell which is what the Gnome developers replaced the old Gnome desktop with. Cinnamon is OK if you like that sort of thing, certainly better than gnome-shell which is pretty poor imho.

Let's start with getting terminology right. Gnome Shell, Unity and Cinnamon all run on top of GNOME 3. MATE is a fork of GNOME 2. So when you write that for Linux Mint 13 "there's no Gnome," that doesn't make much sense as there is GNOME all around

The GNOME developers abandoned GNOME 2 so it can't be offered as a desktop on Linux Mint any longer, but MATE continues to be maintained and developed by the MATE developers (http://mate-desktop.org/) and so Linux Mint comes with MATE since version 12. If you want the GNOME as you knew it on Helena, then indeed Viking777 is right and MATE will offer you a very similar desktop.

If you meant "there's no Gnome Shell", you can easily add Gnome Shell to your Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon installation by installing the packages gnome-shell and gnome-session. Then from the login screen you can choose to run Gnome Shell for your session. Development of the MGSE (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions) as were added to Gnome Shell on Linux Mint 12 has been dropped, with all effort having been shifted to development of Cinnamon.

Edit: MATE, Cinnamon or Gnome Shell, it remains a personal choice which one works best for your

Now I have a much clearer picture and feel confident enough to upgrade to Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon and add the 'gnome-shell' and 'gnome-session' and it would look and feel like the shell on Linux Mint 12 - I was also reading how to add unity to Linux Mint (wonder if there would be any compatibily issues?).

What would be the easiest way to upgrade (not fresh install or reinstall) from v.12 to v.13?

Well, to be clear--if you install Gnome Shell it will not look like Linux Mint 12. That had the MGSE, to give Gnome Shell a taskbar with a list of open windows, to which you could minimize windows also, amongst other features. If you want that, go for Cinnamon. If you add Gnome Shell to a Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon installation, you get the stock Gnome Shell. This doesn't have a taskbar and works quite differently.

I am using Mint 13, 32 bit, Mate on a desktop and laptop. Works fine. I like it better than Cinnamon but then I am not a techie type. I have been using Mint since Mint 6. Then 7. Came over from Ubuntu.I recently double booted my girlfriends XP desktop using Mint 13 and she is so happy. She cares nothing about the OS, only that the PC is so much faster. Really no reason to keep XP but why mess with what works. At boot time, Mint 13 is first and she lets it boot.

Supported yes, mint project no. The mint team did not fork gnome 2 or rename it MATE or write the code (though they may have contributed to it). I think you are confusing MATE with Cinnamon, which IS a mint project though cross-platform.

[Edit] your original post and add [SOLVED] once your question is resolved.

“The people are my God” stressing the factor determining man’s destiny lies within man not in anything outside man, and thereby defining man as the dominator and remoulder of the world.

This is a sarcastic comment but after reading all of this. No wonder why Windows users are confused.Someone needs to make a simple explanation so novices can understand.There probably is some links to some of these questions which I am sure someone will add to this thread.So many choices. Isn't it great.

remoulder wrote:Supported yes, mint project no. The mint team did not fork gnome 2 or rename it MATE or write the code (though they may have contributed to it). I think you are confusing MATE with Cinnamon, which IS a mint project though cross-platform.

Thanks for your help but I'm not confusing Cinnamon and Mate.. but thanks